This invention relates generally to systems for providing addresses used on the Internet. More specifically, the invention relates to methods for configuring address information so as to provide multiple sources for an object of interest.
Traditional forms of addressing objects such as web pages, documents to download, and movie files to stream, have utilized a static format or protocol in which only a single location for an object is indicated by the address format. Thus, locating an object rests on the object still being located at the address specified by the static format. However, often times, particularly in the case of the Internet, an object will only reside at a specific address for a period of time. After that period of time, the object may be removed from that particular address. Thus, someone attempting to locate the object at that address often receives an error message indicating that the address is no longer accessible or that the object is not available.
Furthermore, such an address indicates a single location for an object. However, the information or content of an object can reside at multiple places, especially on the Internet, where an object, e.g., a movie file, can reside at multiple servers. Thus because the static format for addressing an object only allows addressing an object at one of those multiple locations, when the object is removed from the addressed location, a user no longer is able to access the object with the given address.
In one embodiment of the invention, an address comprising a protocol identifier is utilized along with a port identifier. The address and port identifier are coupled to form a single address string.
In another embodiment of the invention, a data structure is provided. The data structure provides a protocol identifier field, an IP identifier field, a server identifier field, a server port field, and a file designation field.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, a port identifier is provided by a requestor as part of an address, the address is transmitted to an intermediate device, the intermediate device transmits the port identifier to a data provider device, and the data provider device addresses the requestor by utilizing the port identifier.